


Family Secrets

by duvarneya



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-25
Updated: 2014-05-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 18:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1521515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duvarneya/pseuds/duvarneya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A DC alternate universe: After her mother dies in a horrific car crash, Rose Worth is sent to live with the father she’s never met. Though he wants to help her get a fresh start and move on, she wants nothing to do with him, and her rebellious nature gets her into trouble more often than not. What’s more, her father is hiding a dark secret that would send any sane person running in the opposite direction. Rose is not a normal girl, however. When she discovers this secret, instead of running she finds herself oddly intrigued</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> >>Work in Progress

Rose flicked her eyes open, slowly. Everything was so blurry, so out of focus. Where was she? What happened? The last thing she remembered, she had been driving with her mother on the way to the mall to buy some new training equipment. She remembered screeching, shattering glass, sirens, and then...nothing. Had they been in a crash?  
  
With a pained groan, she sat upright and rubbed her eyes clear. That was when she felt the wires and tubes attached to her arms. She blinked a few more times until things started coming into focus, then looked down at herself; she was in a hospital bed, dressed in a one of those stupid white gowns. The room was dark, and quiet except for the steady beeping of her heart monitor.  
  
“Mom?” Her voice was hoarse, dry; words came out in little more than a whisper. “ _Mom?_ ”  
  
No answer. She was alone in that room. Her mother must have been in a separate room, or maybe had even escaped the crash with minimal injuries. Turning her head, Rose noticed a glass of water sitting on the table next to her. The ice cubes within had not yet completely melted, meaning someone had left it there only recently. She wasted no time in grabbing it and gulping down the water to wet her dry throat.  
When she set the empty glass back down, the door to the room opened. The man that entered didn't appear to be a doctor; he certainly wasn't dressed like one. She doubted that anyone with an eye patch would make for a good doctor anyway.  
  
The strangest thing about him, though, was that he looked...familiar. Rose was sure she had seen him somewhere before. He was fairly well built, especially for someone his age, and he had a very strong jaw framed by perfectly trimmed facial hair...maybe he was an actor and she had seen him on television, or in a movie? But then, what would he be doing there?  
  
“You're awake,” he said, closing the door behind him. “That's good. The doctors didn't know how long you'd be out.”  
  
“Uh huh...and do I know you?” she asked.  
  
The man breathed deeply and shook his head. “No, you...you don't. Not really.”  
  
Rose narrowed her gaze at him curiously, but decided against further questioning about him. “Where's my mom? Is she alright? Can I see her?”  
  
“Your mother...” He paused, lowering his eye and growing silent.  
  
“My mom...she is alright, isn't she?” No answer. Her heart started to beat frantically, a panic bubbling inside her. “Tell me she's alright.”  
  
“Rose, your mother... wasn't as lucky as you were.”  
  
Her throat went numb. She tried to swallow, but a knot formed that she could not get rid of. “She's not dead. She's _not_. She _can't_...”  
  
The man sighed and looked back at her. His eye was soft, apologetic even. “I'm sorry, Rose.”  
  
She couldn't come up with words. She sputtered briefly before her throat choked up and forced her to swallow. Suddenly, the room was spinning and she felt light headed. Her breathing grew short and rapid, accompanied by a sharp pang of nausea that swirled violently in her gut. Giving the man no second look, she tore the wires and tubes off of her and rolled her way out of bed, then stumbled on shaky legs to the bathroom; she slammed the door shut behind her.  
  
Rose stood in the center of the bathroom, teetering on her feet. She sucked in shaky breaths and ran her hands repeatedly through her hair, shaking her head to herself. It wasn't true, it couldn't be true. Her mother wasn't dead. She _couldn't_ be.  
  
A wetness started rolling down her cheeks and she immediately wiped her eyes dry; she never had been good with showing emotion or vulnerability, even when she was alone. Her mother had always wanted her to be strong, and so she always had been. She never cried, never complained, never gave up... But now her mother was gone. Just like that. Gone, and never coming back.  
  
She hiccuped and wobbled on her feet, suddenly aware of just how much her body throbbed, how much it hurt. Her legs gave out a second later and she fell to the floor, not even trying to catch herself. There she lay, curled up into a ball with her palms pressed to her eyes, sobbing for the first time in so long. She choked on her tears, chest heaving and breaths stuttering rapidly. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop.  
  
Rose wasn't sure how long she lied there on the floor, but eventually a knock came on the door. She ignored it at first, but it came again. “Just...just a minute.” Finally, she pushed herself upright and wiped her face dry. She knew that her red, puffy eyes would betray the fact that she had been crying, but she didn't care; as long as no one actually saw her cry.  
  
When she opened the door, the same man from before was there to greet her. She swallowed, staring at him. “What?”  
  
“Are you alright?” he asked.  
  
“My mother's _dead_ , what the fuck do _you_ think?” She swallowed again, forcing down a numb lump in her throat. “What do you even care, huh? Who _are_ you?”  
  
The man shifted his stance slightly and took in a deep breath. “My name is Slade Wilson. I'm...I'm your father, Rose.”  
  
“My-my what?” Suddenly, it made a little more sense, why this man looked so familiar. She had seen him before in a picture—an old picture, and only once, but she remembered the face. It had been taken back when her mother had still lived in Cambodia. She was there with others from her village, and a man... a man standing next to her. This was that man. He had had both eyes in the picture, though, and he'd been younger, the reason she hadn't recognized him at first.  
  
“Your father,” he repeated. “Sixteen years ago, I was...with your mother. It didn't last long, but you were born nine months later.”  
  
“My... father...” Rose squinted her eyes shut and held her palms to her forehead; she really wasn't in a state to process this information properly, and it was starting to make her head hurt. “My mother, she told me about you...you left us. You left her, and me...you didn't care.”  
  
“That's not true,” Slade said, with a simple head shake. “Not entirely—I did leave, but not because I didn't care. There were...extenuating circumstances at the time. Lilian and I, we both decided it would be best if I wasn't in your life.”  
  
Rose shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves—it didn't work for the most part, as she let her breath out shakily and uneven. “So if it was 'best if you weren't in my life', what the hell are you doing here now? This isn't exactly the best fucking time to drop this on me.”  
  
Slade exhaled and folded his arms across his broad chest. “Rose, with your mother gone...you don't have anyone else to look after you. Though I wasn't in your life, Lilian did keep in contact with me every so often. If anything ever happened to her, she wanted me to-”  
  
“To what? To _replace_ her?” Rose scoffed, swallowing down a hard knot in her throat. “You think you can just come into my life after all this time and take her place? My mom is _dead_ , and I don't even _know_ you. Just... just fuck you.”  
  
“Rose-”  
  
“Get out!” Rose stumbled back to the hospital bed and sat down on it, pointing to the door. “I don't want to fucking talk about this, okay? _Just get out!_ ”  
  
Slade said nothing else, giving her a simple nod instead as he turned back towards the door and exited the room. Rose needed her space right now, and her rest. Best to leave her alone for the time being. 


	2. Chapter 2

Rose stood in front of the gravestone with her arms crossed firmly over her chest. She did her best to remain calm, forcing her breaths to come in slow and even, but felt her eyes wetting regardless. She couldn't help it, she couldn't be strong right now no matter how much she wanted to be, and it made her angry. This wasn't supposed to happen, none of it was. Her mother should still be alive, and she sure as hell shouldn't have to be taken away by her father, a man she had never even met before a week ago. It was all so... so stupid.

She read the gravestone for what felt like the hundredth time, unable to tear her eyes away: Here lies Lilian Worth, beloved mother. 1973-2014. Her gaze kept coming back to the dates. The years her mother had lived...it felt so final now. She wasn't coming back, she really wasn't. There would be no more happy birthdays, or holidays, or pizza nights, or trips to the movies, or training, or anything... not with her mother.

“Damn it,” she muttered, forcing her eyes shut. She didn't want her tears to show. “Goddamn it.”

“Rose... are you ready?” The voice came from behind her. She had heard it far too much the past few days, and already she was sick of it.

“No, I'm not ready,” she snapped. “I'll never be ready. I don't... I don't want to leave. I don't want to go with you. New York is my home... my life is here, my friends are here, my... my mom is here.”

Slade exhaled. “I know... but my home is in Gotham. You'll start a new life there with me, make new friends... it'll be a fresh start, and you can still visit your mother any time.”

“I don't want a fresh start, I just...” She sputtered out a breath and leaned forward, holding a hand against the gravestone. She didn't want to go with him, and yet what other choice did she have? She was only fifteen; she had no money, no home, no way to survive by herself... she'd just end up dead in a gutter somewhere. “I just want things to go back to the way they were.”

“I know, Rose. I know.” Slade came up behind her and rested his hand against her shoulder, but she shrugged away. “Lily didn't deserve this, and neither did you. But what's happened has happened, and we need to move forward.”

Rose's frown deepened. “Easy for you to say. You didn't lose anything.”

Again, Slade sighed, gently hanging his head. “That's... not true, Rose. Not at all.”

“Whatever,” she said. “Let's just go already.”

Finally, she turned from the gravestone and pushed past her father. She wasn't going to stand there and listen to him spout off how he cared about her mother when he was never even around. She didn't want to hear his lies.

The drive from New York City to Gotham took more than four hours. Fortunately, Slade only tried striking up conversation for the first hour. After Rose continually ignored everything he said he stopped trying, and three hours of silence was better than three hours of pointless talking. It allowed Rose a chance to think and reflect, to try and find peace with herself. It didn't work, of course, not completely; she still felt shattered and broken by the time they approached Gotham, but at least her stomach didn't have that sharp, knife-like pain twisting in it anymore.

It wasn't until they finally entered the city from across the Robert Kane Memorial Bridge that she brought herself to say anything. She sat up straighter in her seat and gazed out the window, noting the rundown, decrepit state of the surrounding neighborhood below the freeway. “This place is a dump...”

“That's East End,” Slade said. “It's the...slums of Gotham, essentially—a home to crime, drugs, prostitution, you name it. The mayor has been wanting to clean it up, but it's an expensive project and Gotham doesn't have the funds.”

“Please tell me you don't live down there...”

Slade smirked, offering a light chuckle. “No, no don't worry about that. I live just past the City Hall District, on the other side of the city—best part of Gotham. You'll never have to come out this way.”

Rose folded her arms and sunk back into her seat again. “Well I guess that's something.”

As the car continued through Gotham, Slade glanced up at the rear view mirror and took in a deep breath, as if hesitant to bring up the subject on his mind. “Rose, we... should probably talk about your name soon.”

“...what are you talking about?” she said, lifting an eyebrow at him. “What's wrong with 'Rose'?”

“No, not your first name... your last name,” he said. “Now that I'm officially responsible for you and you're living with me, some things might be... easier to process if your name matched mine, especially once you start school here.”

Rose blinked, almost not understanding what he was saying at first. When it finally clicked, however, her throat went numb. “Are you fucking stupid? I'm not... I can't change my... Worth is my mother's name. 'Rose Worth', that's who I am, I'm not... I don't care if you're my father, I'm not changing my name for you. I barely know you.”

“I know, I know,” he assured, holding up a hand as if to calm her rant. “I wouldn't expect that to be an easy thing to do, or even something you'd want to do. All I'm asking is that you think on it. It really would make some things easier, but in the end it's your decision; I can't force you to change your name.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she muttered. There was no way she was going to change her last name. There were only so many things she had to remind her of her mother. Her name was one of those, and she wasn't going to give it up.

Rose remained silent for the rest of the ride. Even as Slade pointed out various landmarks around Gotham—city hall, Robinson Park, Gotham Courthouse, One Gotham Center, Wayne Tower, and GCPD headquarters to name a few—she said nothing, though she did at least make a point to study the neighborhood. If she was going to be living here, she might as well know her way around.

“And here we are,” Slade said, as he pulled into a parking garage located adjacent to a towering glass building.

Rose pressed her face close against the window in order to look up to the top of the building. She had been expecting a house or something, not a skyscraper. “You live... here? What, you're telling me you own that building?”

“No, that's Gotham Residential Towers,” he explained. “It's the most expensive apartment complex in the city. I live in the penthouse on the top floor. Never had need for a whole house, and the apartment is plenty big enough to fit another resident, or five really.”

“So... what, you're rich, is that what you're saying?”

Slade didn't answer at first, instead shifting in his seat as he pulled into his own personal parking spot aptly labeled 'Wilson'. “I do well for myself, we'll leave it at that.”

Rose pushed the car door open and made her way around to the trunk to grab her luggage. There wasn't too much, just a suitcase for her clothes, and another for her personal belongings. She wasn't like most teen girls that needed a hundred different outfits, twelve pairs of shoes, and three pounds of make-up. She only had two pairs of shoes, enough clothes to last her a week until laundry day, plus her workout clothes, and she didn't wear any make-up at all. Other than that, all she had were various regular things, like CD's, movies, posters, a laptop, and of course her collection of family photos.

“Do you need any help?” Slade asked, as he watched her pull the luggage out of the car.

“No,” she said tersely, not even looking at him. She slipped on her backpack and then hoisted both suitcases off the ground, one in either hand. “I can handle it.”

“Hmm..you're quite strong,” he said, with a nod.

“Always have been. Now, where do we go?”

Slade motioned for her to follow and led her towards the parking garage exit. “This way. We'll be there before you know it.”

A short walk through the lobby and elevator ride later, and they were there. Rose wasn't exactly sure what she expected when they stepped through the entrance to the penthouse, but it wasn't this. As much as she tried to retain herself, she couldn't help her jaw from gaping open. This was no apartment; it was a mansion on top of a building. The place was huge, with wide open rooms, expensive décor, large window walls that overlooked all of Gotham, even a winding set of stairs that led to an upper level.

“So, what do you think?” Slade said.

Rose swallowed and made sure that her expression remained indifferent; she didn't want to let on just how impressed she was with it. “It's... interesting. I guess.”

“Well, if you follow me I can show you to the guest room—er, well, your room now. Then, I'll give you the grand tour.”

As they made their way to the upper level, Rose peered into open doorways and around corners, trying to get a better feel for this place. She spotted a home movie theater through one door, a swimming pool through another, and around one corner there was a dojo—not just a home gym, an actual dojo. What didn't this place have?

“And here we are.” Slade opened the door to the bedroom, ushering his daughter inside. The place itself was huge for a simple bedroom, and had its own attached bathroom, but it was rather bland—it had no real personality to it. “I know it seems a little dull right now, but you can personalize it to your own tastes soon enough.”

Rose walked inside and set her luggage down, taking a look around. There was a big armoire and dresser against one wall, a large flat screen television hanging from another across from the bed, which had a whole freaking canopy, and a large desk on the other side of the room. “It's...nice, I guess. Can I, uh... have some time alone right now? To unpack and stuff.”

Slade nodded. “Of course. I'll make some dinner for us, if you're hungry. After that I'll show you around the rest of the apartment.”

When he was gone, Rose walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. She just stared around the room for a moment, trying to process the fact that she would be living here now. As amazing as the penthouse itself was, none of it felt right. She imagined it would never feel right, not without her mom. Sucking in a deep breath, she reached inside her shirt and pulled out the gold chain locket around her neck. She popped it open and looked down at the two pictures within—on one side, a picture of her mother, on the other, a picture of her.

“Mom...” she uttered, swallowing back a knot. She gently curled her fingers around the locket and closed her eyes, then flopped back on the mattress. “I miss you.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Now class, we have a new student with us today,” the teacher said, gesturing to his left. “Rose Worth.”  
  
Rose stood there, backpack in hand, looking entirely unamused. Why it was some kind of rule that new students had to be pointed out to everyone was beyond her understanding. Why couldn't she just quietly float under people's radar and go unnoticed? Mr. Grayson seemed like a normal enough teacher, but this whole meet and greet with the class already had her miffed at him.  
  
“Hi...” she muttered. She gave the class an unenthusiastic wave, and as expected they all just stared at her like she was some kind of alien.  
  
“Rose is from New York,” Mr. Grayson said. He held his hands to his hips, waiting for her to say something else. When she didn't, he cleared his throat and added, “Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?”  
  
“No thanks,” she replied.  
  
“Oh...well, okay then.” He pursed his lips together briefly before pointing out an empty desk. “In that case, go ahead and take the seat next to Tim.”  
  
The dark haired boy in the desk next to hers gave a small wave before turning his attention back to his book. Rose exhaled and marched over to the desk to sit down. She was really starting to dislike this place. As if the uniforms weren't bad enough, everyone here seemed like a bunch of stiffs. According to her father, Gotham Academy was one of the best schools in the country, but it so did not suit her. At the very least they allowed her to wear a boy's uniform; she would have had to kill herself if she was forced to wear a skirt.  
  
“Psst.” The hushed voice came from behind her. She tried to ignore it, but it only continued. “Hey.”  
  
Slowly, Rose turned to look at the kid behind her. He was a wiry boy with hair down to his shoulders. “What?”  
  
“I'm Eddie,” he said, holding out his hand to shake. “I was new here last semester, so I know how it feels. If you ever want someone to show you around or whatever, I'd be happy to.”  
  
“Uh huh...” Rose glanced down at his hand but didn't shake it. Instead, she turned back around. “Well, thanks, I guess.”  
  
The day was largely uneventful. Since Rose started right in the middle of the school year, she was quite a bit behind on assignments and whatnot, but at least her teachers seemed willing to cut her some slack because of that and help her catch up. It made an otherwise dull day less aggravating than it could have been. She didn't really talk to anyone, though, preferring to keep to herself. She ate alone at lunch and ignored the other kids who tried to talk to her. Back at her old school, she had had friends, plenty of them...but here, right now, she didn't want anything to do with her classmates.  
  
As the day came to a close, Rose rummaged through her locker, trying to figure out which books she would actually need to take home for homework. Ugh, homework...probably the last thing she wanted to do. With a heavy sigh she stuffed her books in her backpack and closed the locker. She had a free period before school ended, so maybe she could get some of her work over and done with there.  
  
The sound of voices grabbed her attention as she made her way down the hall. When she turned the corner, she noticed a group of girls crowded around a locker in conversation. From the looks of them, they were the 'pretty and popular' girls, essentially the people she most wanted to avoid. She had no interest being a part of their superficial, phony world. Without giving them a second glance, she walked straight past them...or at least she would have, had she not overheard what they were saying.  
  
“Oh my god, there she is,” one of the girls whispered.  
  
“What a  _freak_. What's with the white hair?” another said. “Looks like she used  _way_  too much bleach.”  
  
“And why's she wearing a boy's uniform? You think she's...you know?”  
  
Rose stopped a short distance away and turned towards them, glaring. When they noticed this, they all broke out into a fit of smug giggles, as if a bunch of children that were just caught doing something they shouldn't.  
  
“Got something to say?” she asked, taking a step forward.  
  
The girls laughed again as she approached. One of them, a rather developed girl with wavy blonde hair, smirked at Rose and said, “Oh, no, nothing, nothing at all.”  
  
Rose frowned. “Really, because it sounded an awful lot like you were talking about me.”  
  
“Oh, you know, we were just wondering what was up with...” The girl gesture up and down Rose's entire body. “... _this_. I mean, my mom would never let me out of the house looking like that. Does yours just not care, or what?”  
  
For a brief moment, all Rose saw was red. She lunged forward and grabbed the girl by the collar, then slammed her back against the lockers all in one motion. “Don't you talk about my mother!”  
  
“Omigod, get her off me!” the girl shrieked.  
  
The other girls were on them in an instant, grabbing at Rose's arms and yanking her away from their friend. Rose tried to break free and make another attack, but before she got the chance another voice shouted out from down the hall.  
  
“Hey!”  
  
The girls suddenly released Rose and started grabbing their things. The voice yelled out again for them to stop, but they didn't stick around. In seconds they had all raced around the corner, leaving Rose standing alone in the corridor.  
  
“You alright?” the voice asked.  
  
Rose finally turned towards the person coming down the hall. It was a woman, with long red hair and glasses, and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. The most noticeable feature about her, however, was that she was pushing herself in a wheelchair.  
  
“Fine,” Rose muttered, with a shrug.  
  
The woman gently pursed her lips and glanced down the hall to where the other girls had run away, then looked to Rose again. “Rough first day?”  
  
“How did you...?”  
  
“I was talking to Dick earlier—err, Mr. Grayson, your homeroom teacher.” She cleared her throat and straightened herself in her chair. “You're fairly easy to recognize with the hair. Rose, isn't it?”  
  
“Uh... yeah, Rose,” she said. She then lifted an eyebrow, giving the woman a curious look. “Wait... his name is Dick? Like...  _dick?_ ”  
  
The woman blinked and fidgeted slightly. “Uhh, well,  _Richard_ , technically it's not like...”  
  
“But he chooses to be called 'Dick.'” Rose couldn't help it. She curled her lips into a smirk and snorted out a laugh; it was the first time she had smiled in over a month. “Wow, that's... heh, that's unfortunate.”  
  
“Forget I said anything.” The woman shook her head and sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead. She sometimes forgot the level of maturity—or lack thereof—she was dealing with in this school.  
  
“So, are you a teacher, too?”  
  
The woman smiled, leaning forward and folding her hands into her lap. “Hardly. I'm the school's librarian, Ms. Gordon.”  
  
“Uck, sounds dull,” Rose said.  
  
“It's not as bad as you'd think. I love books, so being around them all day is practically my dream job.” Ms. Gordon turned her chair slightly and then pushed herself forward. She gestured for Rose to follow. “Anyway, come with me.”  
  
Rose frowned. “Where are we going? If you expect to make me enjoy libraries, I'm going to have to disappoint you.”  
  
“No, no we're not going to the library,” she said. “It's probably not a good idea to be starting fights on you first day, you know.”  
  
“I didn't start anyth-”  
  
“You don't have to explain it.” Ms. Gordon rolled around the corner of the hall and quickened her pace, forcing Rose to hurry up to match her. “Whatever happened there is your own business, and since you're new I'll cut you some slack. Normally, I'd send you to the headmaster's office, but I think for now this will suffice.”  
  
When they arrived outside the room, Rose huffed out a sigh; it was her homeroom class, Mr. Grayson's. There didn't seem to be an ongoing class at the moment, as the room was empty except for the teacher sitting at his desk eating lunch. When they entered, he looked up at them.  
  
“Oh, Rose, Ms. Gordon,” he said, setting down his sandwich and cleaning his mouth with a napkin. “How can I help you?”  
  
“There was a small incident down the hall,” Ms. Gordon explained. “Rose here got involved in an... let's call it an altercation. Broke things up before they got out of hand, but I thought you'd want to know.”  
  
“I see.” Mr. Grayson looked to Rose. “An altercation, hmm?”  
  
“It was nothing,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
Ms. Gordon smiled, then turned her chair around to exit the classroom. “I'll leave you two alone.”  
  
When she was gone, Mr. Grayson folded his hands and took in a deep breath. “So... starting fights already?”  
  
“It wasn't a fight,” she insisted, as she lowered herself into the chair across from the teacher's desk. “Nothing even happened.”  
  
“Because someone came along to interrupt it,” he said, with a pointed nod. When she merely shrugged, he let out his breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I know you're new here, Rose, but getting yourself into trouble probably isn't the best way to settle in.” Again, she said nothing, instead looking away with a frown. “I... understand you lost your mother recently.”  
  
Rose practically jumped in her seat at the mention of her mother. She snapped her head towards the man and stiffened, breathing deeply. “How did you know that?”  
  
“It was in your file,” he said. “Which is mandatory for me to read for any new students that get added to my homeroom.”  
  
She shrugged, looking away again. “So what about it, huh?”  
  
“I'm saying I understand what you're going through, so I don't blame you for acting out.”  
  
Rose narrowed her gaze and looked back to him. “So you lost your mom, too?”  
  
“Both my parents, actually,” he said, with a subtle nod. “I was a little younger than you when it happened. It... was the hardest thing I've ever been through.”  
  
She didn't say anything at first, gently lowering her gaze to stare at the floor. Breathing in through her nose, she relaxed her posture and closed her eyes. “How... how did you deal with it?”  
  
“It wasn't easy. I know that feeling, when your entire world seems like it's been ripped away, the pain... I was a shell of myself for a long time.” Mr. Grayson leaned back in his chair, holding a hand to his chin. “But... I had someone in my life to help me through it, someone who looked after me, cared for me, and was there for me when I needed him. Having someone just to talk to can be helpful.”  
  
Rose swallowed. She thought of her dad, how he had been trying so hard the past month to talk to her, to get her to open up. She didn't want anything to do with him, though; every time she looked at him, all she could think about was that her mother was gone and that he was all she had left. All she felt was pain.  
  
“Listen, Rose, if you ever want to talk,” he said, “don't hesitate to stop by any time, alright? I'll listen. There are better ways to work through it than acting out, believe me.”  
  
“I... don't know,” she said. She sighed, then finally stood up. “I'm just... I'm gonna go. I wanted to get some of my homework done in my free period and... yeah.”  
  
He nodded, giving her the okay to leave. “Of course.”  
  
As she neared the door to the classroom, she paused and looked back at him; she actually managed something of a smile. “But... thanks.  _Dick_.”  
  
“ Wha— _hey!_ ” Before he could say anything else, though, she was gone. 


	4. Chapter 4

Rose entered the penthouse with a sigh. Finally, her first day of school was done. Granted, there were many more to go, but the hardest one was out of the way. Now that she wasn't the brand new face that nobody knew, maybe they would actually leave her alone in the coming days.

The apartment was quiet. Rose dropped her backpack on a chair in the kitchen and made a beeline for the fridge; she was starving. She wasn't certain where her father was, whether he was at work or whatever, but she didn't much care. If she had the place to herself, she wasn't going to complain. As she pulled out leftovers from last night's dinner, however, she soon became aware that she was not alone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone rounding the corner of the open living room right next to the refrigerator. Rose stopped and stared blankly at the woman, who immediately froze and stared back. What made the encounter all the more awkward, though, was that the mystery woman was naked. Well, not completely, anyway; she at least had the courtesy to be wearing a thong.

“Oh, well hello there,” the woman said, curling her lips into a light smirk. “You must be Rose.”

“Uhh huh...” she replied, blinking and lowering her gaze briefly, while wondering what the hell was going on. “And who the fuck are you?”

“The name's Jade, Jade Nguyen.” She offered her hand to shake, but Rose didn't touch it. With a simple shrug, Jade moved past her and grabbed the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge. “You look a little flustered. Something wrong?”

Rose didn't answer at first. She swallowed, clearing her throat as she turned to the counter and began filling out a plate of food. “I'm not... what are you doing here? How do you know my dad?”

“I work with your father,” she said, pouring a glass of lemonade. “Today was one of our scheduled...meetings. He's stepped out for a bit, though; had to take care of some business.”

“And you're naked because...?”

“Not  _naked_ \--topless.” Jade waved her glass at Rose and smirked again before taking a sip. “Sorry about the tits, though. Slade mentioned his daughter was living with him now, but I'm so used to the apartment being empty it slipped my mind.”

Rose frowned slightly and glanced back at the woman, against her better judgment. Jade was Asian, from the look of it--maybe Vietnamese--with darker than usual skin tone and long black hair. Her figure did not go unnoticed either--very athletic, with more muscle than normal women her size. And she was young...far younger than should be appropriate. “So...you two are fucking, then?”

Jade nearly spit out a mouthful of lemonade as she laughed. She managed to forced it down however, continuing her chuckle. “Well, if you want to be crude about it, yes--we're 'fucking'.”

Rose deepened her frown and turned back to her food. “And how old are you exactly?”

“Older than you.”

“Can't be by much,” she muttered, sliding her plate of food into the microwave.

Jade shook her head and smirked wider. “Oh, it's a good thing you weren't around when we first started... I'm nineteen, though, if you must know.”

“Figures.” Rose kept her gaze pointed firmly at the microwave. “That explains it, then.”

“Explains what, exactly?”

“Why you're fucking him,” she stated, with a shrug. “You're less than half his age, and he makes a lot of money; it doesn't take a genius to figure it out.”

Jade lifted her eyebrow and set her glass down on the counter. With a shake of her head, she chuckled again and said, “Oh, honey, you really have no idea. I sleep with him because  _he's_   _amazing in bed_ , not because of his money. I'm not exactly broke, myself, you know.”

Rose cringed at Jade's statement; that was more information about her dad than she needed to know. “Ugh,  _whatever_. Could you just put some clothes on already?”

Jade didn't comply right away, merely leaning back against the counter with her arms folded and a pleased grin on her face. “Not flustered, hmm?”

“ _Shut up_.”

With another laugh, Jade finally made her way out of the kitchen. “I'll see if I can't find my robe.”

Rose avoided Jade for the remainder of the day, and avoided her father. She shut herself up in her room and worked on her homework, then sat around listening to music and messing around on the computer. Even when Jade left and Slade called her down from dinner, she didn't come out. She just... really didn't want to be around people right now, least of all the father she barely even knew. Before she knew it, the clock on her desk flashed ten-thirty and the day was just about over.

With a sigh, she took her headphones off and tapped her fingers on the desk. Her stomach grumbled and she tried to ignore it, but eventually she forced to find her way downstairs to get something to eat. Of course, she didn't know how to cook and she wasn't in the mood for leftovers again, so she had a simple bowl of cereal. Plain, yes, but also quick and simple. When she was done, she made her way back to the stairs.

She stopped partway there, however, when she noticed a flicker of light out the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she noticed the pool through one of the nearby doorways; the light was reflecting off its surface. She really did enjoy swimming, but she had never been in the mood since she got here to give the pool a try. It might be late now, but... maybe a swim would help clear her head.

One thing that Rose didn't own, however, was a swimsuit. She never had reason to—the only swimming she had done in the past five years was at the lake house that her mother used to take her to, and she very much preferred skinny dipping. It was secluded out there; she never had to deal with other people, didn't have to worry about wearing a swimsuit. It was so much more... freeing. She didn't like wearing wet clothes, even those designed for it.

Rose looked back over her shoulder, into the darkness of the penthouse. It was quiet now; her dad had probably gone to bed ages ago. Besides, she wouldn't be in long, maybe a quick couple laps. She quickly pulled off her clothes, folding them into a neat pile near the edge of the poll with her bra and underwear on top, then dove into the water.

Her body jolted at the sensation of cool liquid against her body, but in a good way. In that instant, all her worries and anxiety melted away. There was only her and the water. When she reemerged from beneath the surface, she took in a deep breath and started swimming around the pool. What had only meant to be a couple laps turned into nearly a dozen, until finally she slowed down to a stop, sufficiently exerted.

Rose took another breath and then floated around on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts wavered, floated like a dark cloud that didn't know what form to take. Eventually she closed her eyes and sighed. This was her life now... she knew that already, and yet it hadn't really, truly hit her. Nothing would ever be the same. There was no going back, only forward... so, perhaps it was better to move on and try to make the best of it. If anything, her mother would have wanted that for her.

“Rose?” The light suddenly flicked on. Slade took a step into the room and glanced down at the pool, only to immediately recoil and turn his head with a hand held up in front of his eye. “For the love of—!”

Rose snapped her eyes open and instantly pulled her body back under the water, holding her arms up in front of herself. “Dad! What are you doing?”

“What am _I_ doing? I came down for some water and heard something coming from the pool room. What the hell are  _you_  doing? Where are your clothes?”

“I just wanted to  _swim_ ,” she retorted, curling her body up tighter even though Slade was turned the opposite direction. “And I happen to like skinny dipping, so I just... jumped in.”

Slade reached forward to grab a towel off the rack in front of him and held it out to the side, still looking away. “Well from now on you wear a swimsuit if you want to use the pool.”

Rose frowned as she pulled herself up out of the pool and grabbed the towel, quickly wrapping it around herself. “I don't own one.”

“Then I'll  _buy_  you one,” he said. He finally allowed himself to look again, now that his daughter wasn't completely nude. “Until then, no pool. Alright?”

“Fine, whatever,” she said. “Didn't seem to have any problem with your fuck buddy Little Miss Tits prancing around the apartment naked, though.”

Slade blinked, then uttered a low groan and dropped his face into his palm. “I  _told_  her to keep a robe on... But even then, she's not  _my daughter_. So, no more of that.”

“ _Alright_ , I got it.”

“So... are you going to tell me how your first day at Gotham Academy was?”

Rose shook her head and grumbled under her breath as she leaned forward to grab her clothes. “It was school. It was boring. Pretty much how you'd expect.”

Slade exhaled and lowered his gaze. “Right, well... you should probably get to bed. It's late.”

“Already gone,” she replied, hurrying out the doorway and back to her room.

When she was gone, Slade rubbed his forehead and sighed again, shaking his head. “Kids...”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose makes friends. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow chapter, will pick up in the next one.

Gym class. It was the only part of school that really made any sense to Rose, a time when she could stop thinking and worrying, and just let out her pent up aggression. She wasn't particularly gifted at any sport, but she was naturally athletic thanks to the years of self defense training from her mother. Plus, she didn't know how to hold back, always going all out no matter if they were playing basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball, or whatever. It really did wonders for her stress.

Unfortunately, it also did wonders for getting her into trouble. More than a few times she had been benched by the gym teacher for being too aggressive, and several times she had even been sent to the headmaster's office to take her out of class. In a matter of a month, she had piled up six detentions, something that her father was not at all happy about. Still, he gave her leniency about it; she was still grieving, after all, and he still trying to win her favor.

Sooner or later, though, her discipline problems would catch up with her. She didn't even consider the consequences as she chased down a curving shot during volleyball, only focused on bumping the ball back over the net. It was no surprise then that she didn't notice her teammate, who was already much closer, going for it. She was vaguely aware of her elbow smacking into something when she reached the ball, hitting it back over the net just before it hit the ground, but she didn't realize what until the gym teacher started yelling at her.

“Worth!” he shouted. “Watch what you're doing!”

Rose glanced down at her elbow and noticed a few drops of blood, then turned around to see a boy crumpled on the floor clutching his nose, more blood leaking through his fingers.

“So he shouldn't have been in my way,” she said, with a shrug.

The teacher clenched his jaw and ran his fingers through his hair. He was very clearly trying to restrain himself. “That is the eighth time you've injured a classmate. What is _wrong_ with you?”

“Whatever, he'll be fine. Just a broken nose.”

“That's it, I want you to escort him to the nurse's office,” he said, pointing to the door. “And then you're to go to the headmaster and explain why you're there. _Again_.”

“Oh that's _bullshit!_ ” she snapped. “It wasn't my fault! He-”

“NOW!”

Rose said nothing else, huffing out an annoyed groan. When the boy got back to his feet, she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the gym towards the nurse's office.

“Watch where the fuck you're going next time,” she said. “Get in my way and I get in trouble for it, bullshit.”

“I'll keep that in mind...” the boy muttered, tilting his head back to keep the blood from running down his face. “In spite of the fact that I was already there and _you_ collided with _me_.”

Rose shot him a look, but turned away again when she realized that he couldn't see her with his head titled. “Whatever, still your fault.”

“Something tells me you haven't been adjusting to this school very well,” he said.

“I'm adjusting just _fine_ , thanks.”

“Oh, my mistake. You'll have to forgive me for assuming that getting detention every other day would equate to problems.”

Rose glared back at him as they rounded the corner of the next corridor. “That's none of your business.”

“Maybe not,” he replied, shrugging. “But it could be. I notice you still sit alone at lunch. If you wanted someone to talk to...”

“I don't need anyone to talk to,” she retorted. “Do I even _know_ you?”

“I'm in your homeroom, remember? Eddie Bloomberg?”

“Oh, yeah, you're that weird kid...”

Eddie barely stifled a laugh. “Right, _I'm_ the weird one.”

Rose frowned, stopping as they finally approached the nurse's office. “We're here, so...I have places to be.”

“Uh huh,” he said. He gave her a wave as he entered through the door. “See you later.”

“Whatever.”

Rose spent nearly her entire free period in the headmaster's office, listening to the balding man explain to her how unbecoming of a young student it was to be getting into trouble all the time. She didn't listen to half of what he said, instead growing increasingly annoyed that she didn't have a chance to shower after gym.; sitting there stewing in her own sweat was far from comfortable. The only thing she needed to hear was that she had yet another detention after school, and then she was finally given leave to go shower.

By the time she got to the girl's locker room, the place was deserted. There was no gym class right before school let out, and nobody ever took their free period to work out. That was more than fine with her; she far more enjoyed the peace and quiet, and to be honest, showering in front of twenty other girls wasn't exactly a favorite pastime of hers.

Just as she started to undress, however, the door opened. Rose braced herself, in case by some off chance it was another group of those popular bitches that seemed to like to rile her up. Fortunately, it was someone that she hadn't seen before, a girl maybe a year or two older than her. The girl was thin, but judging by the tone of her arms she was also in very good shape, a fact that the loose t-shirt and gym shorts did not pronounce well.

For a moment, Rose prepared to ignore the girl's comments and keep to herself; these people always wanted to talk, it seemed. However, the girl apparently wanted nothing to do with her, walking straight past her to the pile of clothes folded on one of the benches. Rose blinked, almost curious why this girl ignored her when everyone else seemed eager to strike up conversation, but she decided not to dwell on it. Instead, she continued undressing and then headed into the shower.

In what was possibly the worst design flaw imaginable, the shower was one large open room with a line of shower heads against three of the walls, and a single drain in the center. While she knew that Gotham Academy had been built back in the 1920's, she would have at least thought that the damn showers would have been updated with the times to offer _any_ privacy at all. Instead, students were forced to live with it, at least if they wanted to shower after gym and _not_ smell for the rest of the day.

Rose forced out a breath of annoyance as she turned on one of the faucets on the far wall. She didn't even bother soaping herself at first, content with just standing under the hot water and relaxing for a few minutes. Soon after she started, however, she noticed the girl from before walk into view several shower heads away. Rose tried to refrain from looking, but the girl's silence had peaked her curiosity. She glanced briefly to the side as she pulled back her wet hair.

As expected, the girl was in abnormally great shape, not an ounce of extra fat on her. She appeared to be perhaps Chinese, with dark, short cropped hair. Rose gathered these features in a mere couple second, making sure to turn away quickly before she was caught looking. As she did, however, she noticed one more thing that caused her to pause and then do a double take, returning her gaze to the girl.

 _Scars_. So many scars, and all kinds--slashes, gouges, punctures, small, large...what on earth had _happened_ to this girl?

Rose soon realized that she had stared far too long. The girl finally turned her head and for a brief moment their eyes met. Half in a panic, Rose snapped her gaze back straight in front of herself. Shit, shit, shit, that couldn't have been more awkward. Without so much as even moving her eyes, she continued to wash up, and when she was finally clean she turned the water off, turned around quickly, and marched straight back out of the shower. She paused only briefly to snatch a towel off the rack and wrap it around herself, then returned to the locker where she had earlier stored her school uniform.

Partway through changing, the other girl reappeared in the locker room and returned to her own clothes. Rose averted her gaze, keeping her eyes fixed on the locker in front of her as she continued to dress. Should she acknowledge it and apologize or just keep quiet and pretend it didn't happen? She really wasn't used to situations like this.

“Sorry,” she said, finally. “I didn't mean to stare, I just...your scars, I saw them and...I mean, I wasn't like checking you out or anything, I'm not...well, sorry.”

There was no response. Rose sighed and shook her head, already scolding herself for attempting an apology. That girl didn't care about her reasons, no doubt. However, she soon became aware of a presence next to her. Rose turned her head to see the girl standing there, still wrapped in her towel, and extending a hand forward.

“Uh...oh. Okay?” Rose stared at the girl's hand a moment, as if afraid it would bite, and then finally reached forward to shake it. “So... you're not mad?”

The girl nodded, though retained a rather calm, indifferent expression.

“Um...well, alright then,” she said, with a small shrug. “I'm Rose, by the way, in case you were wondering. I'm new here.”

The girl paused, frowning slightly, then turned back to her clothes and started rummaging through her pockets.

Rose lifted an eyebrow. “Uh...what are you doing?”

A second later, the girl walked back over to Rose and extended her palm, revealing a student identification card. Rose blinked at it, leaning forward to get a closer look.

“Cassandra?” She glanced up from the card, but the girl gently shook her head and held her hands up, starting wide and then bringing them closer together. “Shorter? So...Cass?”

The girl actually smiled this time, and have a firm nod.

“Hnh...not much of a talker, are you?” Rose said.

Cass merely shrugged, then sat down on the bench and began putting on her uniform. Rose watched her briefly, wondering if this girl even _could_ talk. Even she herself wasn't that withdrawn, and she generally disliked talking to other people. But Cass was still interacting, just not...speaking.

“Well, it was nice to meet you, I guess.” Rose finished buttoning her shirt and then grabbed her bag. She gave Cassandra a wave on her way to the door. “See you around.”

Cass looked back to her and smiled, giving an affirmative thumbs-up.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Rose huffed out an annoyed breath as she finally headed out of school. Another detention, another afternoon wasted. What was worse was that her father would no doubt know exactly why she was late getting home, which meant another talking to. She so did no want to deal with that right now.

As she approached the late-bus sitting outside the Academy, Rose paused, giving it a long look. It didn't take much to convince herself to keep going down the sidewalk. She didn't know exactly where she was going; she just wanted to walk, to clear her head. Aside from the weird encounter with that Cassandra girl in the locker room, it had been a pretty shitty day, and she didn't need to compound that with a lecture by going home to face her dad 

So, she walked—all around Gotham, aimlessly, not giving a passing glance to anyone else around her. The fresh air (or at least what passed for 'fresh air' in a cramped city) did feel good, at least, and it was nice to really stretch her legs. She wasn't certain how far she walked, or what area of Gotham she was in, when the neighborhoods suddenly started to take a downward turn. Buildings looked rundown, shops appeared shady, and there were all manner of suspicious individuals loitering around alleys. Before she knew it, she was in an area of Gotham that she rather wished she wasn't.

East End, that's what her dad had called this place, wasn't it? The crime-ridden slums of Gotham. Well, that was just dandy. By the time she realized where she was, however, it was too late to just double back the way she had come. Even when she turned around, all the streets looked the same, and she couldn't remember which turns she had taken. Not to mention, several men on a nearby street corner noticed her, and they started taking an interest.

Rose eyed them momentarily; they were talking to each other while studying her, no doubt taking note of her Gotham Academy uniform. What would a rich kid like her be doing in a neighborhood like this? Apparently, they wanted an answer to that question, because they started making their way towards her.

“Damn it,” she muttered, turning into the alley behind her. Maybe she could outmaneuver them by coming out into the next street.

But, as she rounded the corner of the alley, she came face to face with a tall chain link fence, too tall to scale. She cursed again under her breath and turned around to hurry back the way she came, but just her luck the men appeared, cutting her off. Just wonderful.

“Well now,” one of men said, taking a few steps forward, “what do we got here?”

Two of the other men circled around her, cutting off any room to the sides. There were five in total; not terrible odds, but not good either. Either way, she really didn't want to have to deal with this right now.

“Someone who's not interested in a bunch of dicks.” She tried moving by the men in front of her, but they cut her off. “Out of my way, I have places to be.”

The man in front of her, who seemed to be the group's leader of sorts, laughed under his breath. “You ain't from around here, are you, girly? That much is clear. What brings you to this neighborhood, huh?”

“Just out for a walk...” Rose again tried moving around him, but he grabbed her arm; she didn't even realize that she had retaliated until after her hand struck his face, such were her instinctive reflexes. “I said, back off!”

He stepped back, holding a hand to his face in surprise. It hadn't necessarily hurt, but it stung, and made him angry. “Fucking bitch—hold her.”

The next thing she knew, one of the men came up behind her and grabbed both her arms, holding her in place. His grip was tight, and no matter how hard she struggled he wouldn't let go. Then, she felt hands grabbing her in _other_ places.

“What you got under here, huh?” the man asked, giving her a sneer. “Anything you want to share?”

Rose cringed and pushed back against the man behind her. She felt her heart skip a beat, and then in an instant she went into attack mode. She must have surprised the guy in front of her, because he never saw her foot coming at his face, not until the bottom of her shoe cracked his nose and sent him stumbling to the ground, blood spraying from his face. She vaguely heard his screams, but she paid no attention to them; she had more important things to take care of.

Jumping up and whipping her head back, she broke her second nose of the day; the man holding her from behind released her instantly and fell to his knees, a hand clutched to his face. He never got a chance to recover, as she followed it with an elbow to the back of the head. This time, he went down and didn't get up.

“What the fuck! Get her!”

The three remaining uninjured men converged on her, but they had no way of being prepared for the things that she could do. She knew she was smaller, and not as strong as them, so she remembered the training that her mother had taught her. She attacked their weak points—their knees, joints, eyes, pressure points. In seconds she had them reeling in pain, and it was then that she started really giving it to them. She connected her knee to the back of one's head, an elbow to another, and then a whipping kick straight to the other's face. It took a few more shots than she would have liked, but eventually they were all on the ground unconscious.

Except for the man whose nose she had broken first, the leader. He finally recovered and got back to his feet, glaring at her. Bright crimson stained the front of his lips and chin, but he didn't seem to care. Instead, he pulled out a knife and extended the blade, pointing it at her.

“That's it,” he grumbled. “We were just gonna have a little fun with you, maybe give a taste of a real man, but now I'm gonna gut you instead.”

Rose wasn't entirely sure what happened next. She remembered the knife coming at her, and she remembered disarming him, but then... then it was all blank, at least until after the blade found its way into the man's neck. Then, there was blood. So much blood... spraying everywhere, over her face, her clothes... and then it was over. She stood there in stunned silence, feeling almost out-of-body as she looked down at the scene, and suddenly her stomach twisted into a sick knot.

“Oh shit...Oh shit, no, no no no,” she uttered, taking a few careful steps backward.

The man lay face down on the ground in a growing pool of blood. There was so much...and it was spreading so fast. Rose looked down at herself, now noticing the large red stain splashed across the front of her shirt. The blood soaked deep into the fabric; she could already feel it soaking against her skin.

What did she do now? She couldn't just run home; someone would see her, see the blood, and they'd probably call the cops. Should _she_ call the cops? No... no she couldn't do that; they'd take her to the station, ask her questions... she didn't want that. But she couldn't stay here either at the crime scene, in case someone stumbled across it. Damn it, why had she come out this way? All she wanted was to clear her head, but instead she had _killed_ a man!

Rose swallowed and shut her eyes as she reached into her pocket. She realized that there was only one thing she could do, as much as she didn't want to. With a deep breath, she pulled her phone to her ear and dialed.

“Rose?” Slade's voice came over the other end. “Are you alright? You never came home from school, I thought...”

“Dad...” she said, surprised at how shaky and panicked her voice sounded. “I...I need your help. I did something. Something bad. I...I don't know what to do.”

There was a pause before Slade spoke again. His voice sounded cautious, concerned. “Rose...tell me where you are. I'm coming to get you.”

The next fifteen minutes felt like an eternity. Rose jumped at every little sound, certain that someone would wander back into the alley and discover what she had done. A couple of the guys she had knocked out earlier started to stir, forcing her to put them back down; she did not need any of them waking up.

The sound of footsteps grabbed her attention. She looked up at the end of the alley and held her breath, waiting for whoever it was to appear. When her father came around the corner she uttered a sigh of relief and hurried to him.

“You actually came...” she breathed, briefly closing her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Rose...” Slade looked down at the bodies littering the alley, though his gaze focused on the one in blood. “...what on earth did you do?”

“I'm _sorry!_ ” she said quickly. “I didn't mean to, honest, I just...they came after me, tried to hurt me and I...I just knocked them out, but then the one guy pulled a knife, and I remembered how my mother trained me so I disarmed him...and the next thing I knew there was blood everywhere...I didn't mean to kill him, it just happened!”

Slade didn't respond right away. Instead, he looked back at the bloodied body and knelt down, inspecting it. The man was definitely dead, no doubt about it. Finally, he straightened himself and turned back to Rose.

“Here's what's going to happen,” he said, reaching into his coat pocket. He pulled out a pair of leather gloves and began sliding them on. “My car is parked right in front of the alley. There's a sweatshirt in the back; put it on to cover your shirt. Then, there are wet hand wipes in the glove compartment, use them to clean your face. When you're finished, go to the coffee shop at the end of the street and wait for me there. I'll pick you up in one hour.”

“Uh... o-okay.” Rose blinked, giving him a curious look. “What...what are you going to do?”

Slade finished putting his gloves on and then turned back to the dead body. “I'm going to make this problem disappear.”

Five minutes later, Rose was cleaned up and sat alone in a coffee shop, in the worst part of Gotham. She ordered a small hot chocolate and sat by the window, shaking her legs up and down while waiting for her dad to get back. What did he mean when he said he was going to get rid of the problem? How would he even know how to do that?

The nerves in her gut had grown into violent bats by the time she saw the car appear out front of the shop. She immediately got up from her seat and exited through the door, making sure that her sweatshirt was pulled as far over her front as possible. Slade didn't even wait for her to shut the passenger's door before starting the car again, causing Rose to stumble in her seat as she slammed it shut and then fumbled for her seat belt. Just like that, it was over.

They sat in silence until they reached the freeway, on their way  back to the City Hall District. Slade turned his head briefly to look at her and asked, “What were you  _ thinking _ , Rose? What were you even doing out there?”

“I don't...” Her voice caught in her throat, forcing her to clear it before she could continue. “I just... had a bad day at school so I went for a walk to clear my head. I didn't mean to end up down there, it just... happened. Then those guys showed up, and... well you know the rest.”

Slade sighed, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to the road. “Rose, I am _responsible_ for you. I know you refuse to believe it, but I _do_ care about you, and I don't want anything to happen to you, but you make it exceedingly difficult by running off and getting yourself into trouble. You could have been  _ killed _ .”

“I _know_ , okay? I'm... I'm sorry. It won't happen again.” Rose exhaled deeply and bowed her head. She could still feel the wetness of that man's blood soaking through her shirt. It was more than a little uncomfortable. “So, how... how did you make the problem go away?”

“Don't worry about it,” he said. “It's done.”

Rose blinked at him, then slowly turned her head to look out the window. She still had no idea what was going on. Had her father... done something to the body? What about the other guys that had been unconscious? Had he done something to them, too? Who  _ was _ this man?

“You did the right thing, you know,” Slade added, with a simple nod. “Calling me, I mean. Can't trust the cops in this city. Even if it was self defense, you'd have gone through a lot more trouble than you need. I want you to know that you can call me if you ever get in any kind of trouble. I'll come get you, no questions asked, and I'll take care of you. Okay?”

Rose glanced back at him, swallowing back a knot in her throat. With a nod, she said, “Y-yeah... okay.”

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose struggles to deal with the events of last chapter

“What's wrong?” Jade asked, tracing her finger along Slade's chest. “You're not usually this quiet in bed unless something's bothering you.”

The older man breathed in deeply and glanced at her. It had been nearly an hour now since they finished, but rather than their usual pillow talk, he had remained quiet, lost in thought. “It's nothing, I'm just...I'm concerned about her.”

“Who, Rose?” Jade lifted an eyebrow, then folded her arms against Slade's chest and rested her chin on them. “Stop worrying so much, she'll be fine. It's not like she went out looking to murder someone; some creep came at her with a knife and he got what he deserved. Simple.”

“She still killed a person,” he muttered. “I'm worried what that might do to her. She's still grieving her mother, school hasn't been going particularly well for her, and now she has this to deal with... You should know what killing can do to someone.”

Jade raised her head and gave him a smirk. “In all fairness, I don't think I'm the best bar to be measuring with in that regard. That was never an issue for me.”

“Hmph, maybe.”

“Do want me to talk to her?” she asked. “I can't say I'm great with kids, but if there's anything I know how to deal with, it's killing.”

Slade shook his head. “No...no, I should talk to her; I'm her father. And...no offense, but she isn't particularly fond of you.”

Jade raised her eyebrow. “Is that right?”

“Well, I don't think the screaming helps,” he replied. “But don't take it personally; she isn't really fond of me, either.”

“Oh hush, you love the screaming,” she said, running her hand down from his chest and moving it lower. “I told you to soundproof the walls ages ago, but you're the one who claimed it would be a waste of money.”

He frowned, narrowing his gaze at her. “That was before I knew my daughter would be coming to live with me.”

Jade chuckled. “At least I've started putting on a robe when I'm here.”

“Which you still forget to tie closed half the time...”

Another smirk crawled across her face as she shrugged. “Baby steps.”

“I should really go talk to her,” he said. He sat up in bed, forcing Jade to pull back off of him. “She hasn't been out of her room since it happened.”

“Now hold on.” Jade held a hand to his chest and pushed him back down against the mattress. “You're still stressed, and nervous, concerned...which, to be honest, is rather amusing. Before you go, though...” She started making her way south, pulling the sheets down. “...you should relax first. It'll make talking easier.”

“Jade...” Slade started to get up, but he had a hard time saying no to this girl; she had a knack for making him shut up in the best ways possible. Before he could really resist, he fell back against the bed and let out a defeated grunt.

\---

Rose lay awake on her bed, staring up at the canopy above it. She wished there was no stupid canopy at all, so she could stare at the ceiling, or the round and round motion of a ceiling fan instead, but this would have to suffice for now. It wasn't like her thoughts were any less clear because of it.

It was fortunate that today was Saturday, because she wouldn't have been able to bring herself to go to school, not after yesterday. It was all she could think about. She kept replaying those few moments in her head over and over and over--the knife, the blood, the kill. All other girls her age had to worry about was what shoes to wear, or what boy they liked, but Rose...she had driven a knife into some guy's neck and watched him die.

And then her dad had covered it up. She knew that he was trying to get on her good side, to show that he could be a good father, but that was a long way to go to accomplish that. He hadn't even hesitated, hadn't flinched...he had known exactly what to do, and he had gone through with it so quickly, already with a plan. It made her wonder--was that not the first time he'd done something like that?

The knock drew her out of her thoughts. She blinked and turned her head towards the door. “...come in.”

The door opened and her father appeared. He paused there a moment, just looking at her, until finally he made his way father inside. “Rose. How are you doing?”

“You mean since I _killed_ a person?” She let out a nervous laugh and turned her head to stare back at the canopy. “Oh yeah, I'm great.”

“I know it must not be the easiest thing to deal with,” he said. “Especially considering how your life has...changed recently. If it's bothering you, if you want to talk about it.. “

Rose said nothing, instead pursing her lips and shaking her head. She knew he meant well, but she still didn't trust him. Not completely, anyway, not the way a kid should trust her parent. And yet, as much as she didn't want to talk about it with him...she really did want to talk about it.

Eventually, she sat up and looked over at him, with an almost distraught, disbelieving smile on her face. “You want to know what bothers me? How much it _doesn't_ bother me. I _killed_ someone. Stabbed him in the fucking neck, had his blood...all over me, and yet I don't feel bad about it! I was more worried about the _consequences_ of killing him than _actually_ killing him, but...but you went and made sure there were none. So now there's...I don't know, _nothing_. I don't actually care that I killed that creep, just... What the fuck does that say about me? Shouldn't I feel something? Remorse, guilt, panic, nausea... _anything?_

Slade looked back at her curiously, but remained silent while she spoke. He pulled the chair from in front of the desk and sat down next to the bed. When she was finally done, he held a hand to his chin and took in a deep breath.

“The fact that you're questioning that means you do feel something,” he said. “Maybe not what you expected...but something. You don't feel bad for killing him, and you shouldn't; he was scum, and he tried to hurt you. You defended yourself, did what you had to. There's nothing wrong with that. Maybe that worries you, but it shouldn't. Your mother raised you to be a good person and that's what you are, but she also taught you how to take care of yourself. That's what you did yesterday, and all that makes you is human.”

“You say that like it's no big deal,” Rose muttered. “Like...Like killing him was just another thing that happened, that I shouldn't be ashamed of it. Which, I mean I'm not, but... It still sounds strange, the way you make it seem so normal.”

Slade held his hands together and leaned forward. “It _is_ normal. In life, we do things we have to in order to survive, things we aren't always proud of. It's just human nature. There's no need to worry about it or be afraid of what it means. Yesterday, you survived, and I'm proud of you for that.”

Rose blinked, turning her head to the side. Was he being serious? He was... _proud_ of her? “Wait...so you're not even mad? Even after I went out there in the first place and put myself in that situation, forced you to...cover up what happened? And after all the trouble I've been in at school...and generally hated having to live with you, or even be around you?”

“Rose, you're my daughter,” Slade said, with a gentle nod. “And you've been through a lot in past couple months, a lot for any girl to deal with. You lost your mother, had to come live with a father you don't even know, changed cities, changed schools...I'd be more worried if that didn't affect you, and I don't blame you at all for acting out the way you have. So no, I'm not mad at you--not for killing that creep, and not for anything else.”

Rose swallowed and slowly looked away. She didn't really know how to react to that--grateful, maybe relieved? When did she even start caring what he thought? “Well...thanks, I guess. For what it's worth though, I _am_ sorry. For everything.”

“As am I, Rose,” he replied. “As am I.”

They sat in silence for a few moments longer, until Rose finally turned to look at him again, her gaze curious. “So...why _did_ you leave my mom? I never asked before, maybe because I didn't actually care why...but I think I have a right to know.”

“That...is a complicated question,” Slade said. “There were...”

“I know, 'extenuating circumstances'. I want to know what those are.”

Slade lowered his gaze and sighed. “Very well. What you need to understand, Rose, is that when your mother and I first met, I... I was still married.”

Rose lifted her eyebrows. That wasn't at all what she expected him to say, and she honestly wasn't sure how she felt about it. Her mom had been 'the other woman'? But... her mom was better than that. There had to be a better explanation for it, so for now she held her tongue and uttered a simple “Go on.”

“At the time I met your mother, my marriage hadn't been going so well...actually it was going pretty poorly. So, when I met Lily during one of my work travels, I didn't question the connection I felt with her.” Slade eased out a deep breath and held his hands together. “We started an affair soon after. It lasted...about a year or so. I'd make excuses to travel more frequently, couple weeks at a time...didn't help my marriage at all, but at the time I didn't care. Your mother was...she was very special to me.”

Rose swallowed and gently folded her and across her chest. “If she was that _special_ to you, then why did you leave her?”

“Because of you,” he said, with a subtle frown. “When she found out she was pregnant, we had a long discussion about it. Our affair was thing, having a child was something else entirely. I was still married, she was still living in Cambodia, and the kind of work I do is dangerous, and with the traveling I wouldn't have been around as much as I should. So, we both decided that it would be for the best of we ended things. I'd go back to my life, to my marriage, and she would raise you on her own. It...wasn't easy, leaving you both behind.”

“So...if you went back to your wife after you ended things with my mom, why...?”

“Aren't I still married now?” Slade actually chuckled, as if finding the question funny. “Addie, my wife at the time, found out about the affair later on anyway. That was the last straw for her; we divorced shortly after.”

Rose blinked, then bowed her head and sighed quietly. “So...you lost everything, then. Your marriage, my mom...me.”

Slade shrugged. “That's one way of looking at it, I suppose. That was fifteen years ago, though. I've been on my own since then, pretty much. Nothing but my work. Until now, at least.”

And for that moment, Rose abruptly felt her stomach sink into a knot. “I'm...I'm sorry. I've been...ugh, I've been such a problem lately. I know you're just trying to help, but I just...”

“I know,” he said. “You don't need to explain yourself to me, Rose. You've been through a lot.”

“Well, so have you, I guess.” She shrugged, then sighed again. “Sorry.” A long moment of silence passed between them. Rose fidgeted on the bed, staring down at the sheets, until finally the silence was too unnerving to take. “So...what do you do for work anyway? I never asked before because...well, I really didn't care.”

“That is....complicated,” he replied, with a clear of his throat.

“You said it was dangerous.” She paused, holding a hand to her chin. “Is it like, 'I'd tell you but I'd have to kill you' dangerous? CIA super spy stuff?”

Slade raised an eyebrow at the girl and blinked at her. “Something like that...let's just call it... International Relations, and leave it at that.”

“So then that wasn't the first time you've had to get rid of a body, was it?”

Slade breathed outwardly and held his hands against his knees. “No, no it wasn't.”

“Hmm...cool, I guess,” she said. “At least that means you're not as boring as I thought “

“If that's how you want to look at it, go right ahead.” Slade stood up and moved the chair back over to the desk. “Anything else you need right now?”

Rose thought a moment, pursuing her lips. “Well...you know, I've noticed the whole dojo this apartment has, and I assume you know how to use it. My mom used to train me before she...well, she taught me how to defend myself. Maybe...you could pick up where she left off? I mean...if you don't mind. It'll give me something to do, and maybe the next time I won't accidentally kill a guy.”

Slade paused in the doorway, giving her a long look. “That...could be doable. I'm out of town next week, but if you like, I could have Jade get you started. She's not too bad herself.”

Rose frowned and folded her arms. “Alright...but only if I can put a muzzle on her.” At her father's quizzical look, she rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Oh come _on_ , I may be at the other end of the apartment, but I still hear the screaming. I don't even want to know what you do to her to make her sound like that.”

Slade appeared off balance for a moment, caught off guard by the statement. He blinked at her, then finally sighed and turned to leave the room. “Good night, Rose.”

 


End file.
